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Topic: Will ny pizza sell in Chicago? (Read 11604 times)

Chicago is a town with a great history. People love their hot dogs, Italian beef, Chicago thin and the coveted deep dish pizza. But will chicagoians be willing to order from a shop that sells new york crust? They do like sbarro out here but that is all I have to go by. Most people are set in their ways though and don't want to try new things. What does everyone think?

Disclaimer: Don't necessarily believe anything I say here. My brain ain't quite right anymore (unless it is). If I come off as rude or argumentative, that's probably not my intention. Rather, that's just me being honest, to myself and everyone else; partly because I don't have enough time left to BS either you or myself. If you are offended by anything I say, it's probably because you think lying to people (to be "polite") is a good idea. I don't.

Chicago is a town with a great history. People love their hot dogs, Italian beef, Chicago thin and the coveted deep dish pizza. But will chicagoians be willing to order from a shop that sells new york crust? They do like sbarro out here but that is all I have to go by. Most people are set in their ways though and don't want to try new things. What does everyone think?

People will eat pizza out of an IV bag if they have to, Nate, so all it has to do is taste good no matter which "style" it is.

Unless no one knows it exists. Or unless the service sucks. Or unless you buy a pizzeria that has a lousy reputation. Or unless the menu is so complicated that people turn around and walk out as soon as they look at it. Or unless... a whole bunch of other things that have nothing to do with how good the pizza tastes.

Success in the pizza business has little to do with what style of pizza you offer or how good it is.

Disclaimer: Don't necessarily believe anything I say here. My brain ain't quite right anymore (unless it is). If I come off as rude or argumentative, that's probably not my intention. Rather, that's just me being honest, to myself and everyone else; partly because I don't have enough time left to BS either you or myself. If you are offended by anything I say, it's probably because you think lying to people (to be "polite") is a good idea. I don't.

Id think there would be tons of people who would disagree and say success has a lot to do with the product you put Out

Well, I know there are tons of people who used to own pizzerias who would've said the same thing before they owned their pizzeria, which, of course, sold the best pizza in town before they went out of business.

You can make the best pizza in the world, but if I don't know about it, I won't be there. If you give me crappy service, I won't be back. If the place is dirty, I won't be back. And so many other things will either keep me from ever trying the place or keep me from going back. And that's not just how I operate; that's how people operate.

Food quality matters--I didn't say it doesn't matter--just as the style of food matters. But they both matter a lot less than a lot of other things.

Disclaimer: Don't necessarily believe anything I say here. My brain ain't quite right anymore (unless it is). If I come off as rude or argumentative, that's probably not my intention. Rather, that's just me being honest, to myself and everyone else; partly because I don't have enough time left to BS either you or myself. If you are offended by anything I say, it's probably because you think lying to people (to be "polite") is a good idea. I don't.

Disclaimer: Don't necessarily believe anything I say here. My brain ain't quite right anymore (unless it is). If I come off as rude or argumentative, that's probably not my intention. Rather, that's just me being honest, to myself and everyone else; partly because I don't have enough time left to BS either you or myself. If you are offended by anything I say, it's probably because you think lying to people (to be "polite") is a good idea. I don't.

1. People develop their tastes of what they consider to be "normal" and "good" very early in life. Chicago natives did not grow up on NY pizza.2. People are not as adventurous to try new tastes or foods as most people think they are, and NY style pizza is something different than the norm in Chicago.3. Americans strongly resist change.4. Americans are strongly ethnocentric. A significant percent of prospective Chicago customers will resist NY pizza on name alone. It isn't from Chicago.

Of course there is a market for NY pizza in Chicago, but I would venture it isn't a very big market.

The same would be true about selling Chicago pizza in NY. Would you open a Chicago pizza place in NY?

I've seen people who were passionate, even evangelical, about introducing NY style pizza to other countries even. I've not seen a successful one yet.

1. People develop their tastes of what they consider to be "normal" and "good" very early in life.

Yes, but that doesn't make them shun everything that isn't identical to what they've always known as normal. NY style pizza is accepted everywhere in the United States. If you go to just about any food court in the United States, there will be a Sbarro. No, Sbarro is not a fantastic specimen of NY style pizza. But it is NY style pizza, and it's everywhere because people buy it.

Of course there is a market for NY pizza in Chicago, but I would venture it isn't a very big market.

No matter where you go, there is a market for good, friendly, efficient service in a clean environment. It doesn't matter if you sell mediocre NY style pizza, mediocre Chicago style pizza, or mediocre pizza of any other style. If you create a place where people feel welcome and respected, and you give them a good reason to try you, they will come back.

But offering a quality product is a bonus.

See In-N-Out Burger. Yes, their food is awesome, but their food is only one of many reasons why almost every In-N-Out unit is slammed every day from open to close. When you do things right, it pays off, and In-N-Out is the perfect example that no one ever seems to learn from.

The same would be true about selling Chicago pizza in NY. Would you open a Chicago pizza place in NY?

From what I've seen, New England appears to the biggest market in the United States for deep dish pizza. Uno is headquartered in Boston, and they have stores all over the region, possibly including New York City.

So someone already answered your question with "Yes." And I'd think selling Chicago style pizza in New York and New England would be much more difficult than selling NY style pizza in Chicago.

Disclaimer: Don't necessarily believe anything I say here. My brain ain't quite right anymore (unless it is). If I come off as rude or argumentative, that's probably not my intention. Rather, that's just me being honest, to myself and everyone else; partly because I don't have enough time left to BS either you or myself. If you are offended by anything I say, it's probably because you think lying to people (to be "polite") is a good idea. I don't.

I could definitely see walking down Michigan Ave. and stopping into a NY slice joint. Out in the 'burbs might be another story...unless you were located in a mall or something like that. You would die a quick death in some neighborhoods.

1. People develop their tastes of what they consider to be "normal" and "good" very early in life. Chicago natives did not grow up on NY pizza.2. People are not as adventurous to try new tastes or foods as most people think they are, and NY style pizza is something different than the norm in Chicago.3. Americans strongly resist change.4. Americans are strongly ethnocentric. A significant percent of prospective Chicago customers will resist NY pizza on name alone. It isn't from Chicago.

Of course there is a market for NY pizza in Chicago, but I would venture it isn't a very big market.

The same would be true about selling Chicago pizza in NY. Would you open a Chicago pizza place in NY?

I've seen people who were passionate, even evangelical, about introducing NY style pizza to other countries even. I've not seen a successful one yet.

May be the OP should talk more about the proposed business plan-quality, quantity, etc.

I would have been more apt to agree w this at one time but not now. Internet and "foodies" have changed that IMO.